Mentors and How to Find Them

[OsakaMidnight]

Background: I'm new to magic and working on the basics and some fun effects.

Generally I'm a book learner--a mix of some loner tendencies and lack of a disc drive/easy way to watch DVDs--but I recently had a fantastic experience at Tannen's in NYC where some veteran magicians taught me a couple of effects and helped me with my fundamentals. All in all it was a fantastic experience and I wish I could keep going and working on my stuff there surrounded by magicians because books and videos aren't really doing it for me. They are great and all, but I really appreciated being able to sit down at a table with veterans. I showed some stuff they critiqued, I watched them work, I learned; it felt like the most natural learning environment to me.

Here's where it gets a little tricky, and where the main question for this thread comes in, I don't live in NYC full-time anymore; I live across the Pacific in Osaka, Japan (hence the name). Although I have the language skills, I just don't know how to get in contact with magicians in my area or if there is any magician specific etiquette on how to approach older/more experienced magicians. So, have any of you had experience in finding mentors? And Do you have any experience on how to get in touch with a magic community to which you are a complete outsider.

I'm resigned to the fact that I'll have to do my own searching for local magicians and shows in Osaka, as I doubt there are many/any Osaka based magicians here on the Theory11 magic forums, so I'm really looking for general search advice from all of you. My current plan is to keep hitting the books and videos, but if there's even a sliver of a chance for finding a mentor I'd take it in an instant.

My current, roughshod incomplete battle plan is as follows:
1. Go to a magic bar
2. Hope being the 6ft foreigner in the room works as a conversation starter
3. ???
4. Work on magic

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

The magic store, French Drop, is in Osaka I believe. Ponta the Smith works there (or did, at least). There's also a meetup group for magicians in Osaka, apparently: https://www.meetup.com/Osaka-magicians/?_cookie-check=uoQ70Y91Ves2hhXS - I have no idea if it's any good. But anyway, I found those two by Googling "Osaka Magicians" so I'm sure with actual effort you'd be able to find more options.

There's a saying, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear". You can't really go looking for mentors. It's best to just ingratiate yourself to the local community and if there's someone who can and wants to help you, that relationship will develop naturally.

 

[OsakaMidnight]

@ChristopherT
Thanks so much for your comments. French Drop has been on my list, but I've been seeing some conflicting information on some Japanese sites I was perusing as to whether it was still open or converted to a online only shop for renovations.

I did not know about meetup.com so thanks for searching that. One thing that I will say is that I tend to avoid that sort of online meetup culture in Japan. It's not a magic community specific issue (and maybe even the fact that the group is centered around magic will mitigate this factor), but in general I find that net meetups in Japan that advertise English and Japanese tend to devolve into creepy foreign dudes looking for dates or Japanese people just trying to meet foreigners. Not that I think this is the case specifically with this meet up and I'll be sure to check it out, but in case you wanted some trivia on Japan that's something.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

In the age of the internet, I know it is easy to get one on one sessions easily, but they cost a bit. Furthermore, they aren't the same thing. They are more so consulting. I'm sure someone offers online mentorship though. I have no experience with a mentor, so it's probably best to listen to the other guys here.

 

[RealityOne]

I've found that forums like T11 and the old Ellusionist forums provide a type of mentorship. There are the discussions on the forums and then some aquaintences that turn into friendships. I've got friends around the world that I can talk with on Skype about magic. I've worked with magicians in Europe and Japan in designing their shows. I have lots of folks that can help me when I need a move or a method. Some of them I've even been able to meet up with and hang out in person when they are in visiting the U.S.

Most mentors guide you in your learning and provide feedback. That really is the function of these forums.

 

[DisasterTheory]

It's hard for me to give advice here. The only mentor I had in magic, happened by chance. A guy in my area just happened to be a really goo close-up magician. A mutual friend wanted me to show him stuff I was working on and he ultimately helped me make the stuff better, helped me build a persona and confidence in patter. From time to time, he would show me a few effects and how to do them but for the most part he was just someone that enjoyed watching me progress and teach me presentation more than tricks.

I have found forums like T11 to be extremely valuable for many of the same aspects of the art.